73!

LIAM

I opened the doors of the command center in the palace and the whole place was noisy with officers running at each corner.

“What's going on?” I asked the commanding officer.

“Your Highness, we discovered the missing body less than thirty minutes ago,” he said, I could feel him shaking.

“Commander, are you scared of me?” I closed the blue file he gave to me.

“Not at all Sir, this is just my first time speaking with you,” he said, still fidgeting.

“Stay still,” I said but he didn't. “Stay still!” I roared and the whole place was silent and the commander was looking sharp.

“That's more like it,” I said and he nodded. “So what do we know?”

“Nothing much, your Highness. It looks like a two man team. They took the Sergeant's body out of the royal casket into another one,” he said as we watched the surveillance video.

“Any reason to suspect this is my brother, the traitor's handy work?” I asked.

“That will be a negative, my King,” Ethan said, walking towards me with Mason.

“The ladies?” I asked.

“Duchess Brianna, Lady Layla and Trisha are all safe and waiting on us,” Mason said and I sighed.

“How sure are you that this isn't, Adrian. He could have paid these people to steal the body,” I said to Ethan.

“You are absolutely right but if he did this, he would have been long gone by now,” Mason said but Ethan shook his head.

“What are you thinking, Ethan?” I asked him.

“If Adrian did this, he will stay to see how it will affect you. He will monitor your weaknesses,” he said and I nodded.

“Yeah, you are right,” I said nodding. I looked at Ethan's face. It's clear he has more to say.

“What?” I asked him.

“Not here,” he said. We walked towards the glass off and Mason put on the silence mode.

“No one can hear us,” Mason said and Ethan nodded.

“Operations traitor caught a CCTV camera of someone with Adrian's discrimination entering the border of a small village in the kingdom,” Ethan said and I looked at him shocked.

“When was I going to be told about this?” I asked both of them with my fist on the table.

“Today then you made a comment about Adrian appearing again so we thought you had read the file,” Ethan said and I scoffed.

“Are we back to that?” I asked them.

“There is another reason why we didn't tell you too,” Mason said. “We think we have moles working with Adrian,” he said.

“You just said moles,” I said to him and he nodded.

“Yes, those who think he should be King and not you,” Mason said but Ethan stopped him.

“I would like to think of them as easily twisted people. Their reality is bent and they need a sense of direction.”

“So, Adrian gives it to them by telling them he should be King not me,” I tried to understand what he was saying.

“They need something to live for. Something that has an adrenaline rush,” he continued.

“A rebellion does that,” Mason said while he nodded.

I looked through the glass, looking at each officer in the command center.

“So one of these people is a mole?” I asked, looking.

“Not one, a little close to half,” Ethan said and I sighed heavily.

“We have to assume even the servants in the palace might be compromised as well,” Mason said and I nodded.

“We need to find them and put a stop to this rebellion. If possible before I'm crowded, King,” I said.

“Of course,” I watched as the commanding officer walked towards the office and knocked on the door.

“Come in, Commander,” I answered.

“We found them sir, we found the body,” he said and I looked at Mason and Ethan.

The four of us walked towards the huge room and I was handed another file.

“What's this?” I asked.

“That's the Sergeant's two sons, we believe they are responsible for the theft,” he said and I sighed.

“He had two sons,” I said, glaring at Mason. “What was he doing being my caller?” I asked him.

“He volunteered, Liam. He wanted to serve his Prince,” he didn't look at me while he spoke.

“Damnit,” I cursed. “Where are they now?” I asked.

“At an abandoned building close to the south river,” an officer said to me.

“We can have the elite guards there in five minutes,” the commander said to me.

“No, I'm going in,” I slammed the file in my hand against his chest.

“We can't let you do that, Liam,” Mason said, standing in front of me.

“I know you feel some responsibility towards the Sergeant but you have to let the elite guards handle this,” Ethan said, trying to change my mind.

“You are right. I do have a responsibility towards the Sergeant but so do his son. And right now that's the thing we have in common,” I said to them.

“What if all these are Adrian, playing you. Trying to get inside of your head?” Mason asked.

“Yeah, it could be Adrian. But that won't stop me besides he isn't going to kill me. He is going to taunt me first, try to find my breaking point and then he will try to kill me but I assure you, none of that will happen today,” I said and walked past them.

“Well, aren't you coming? We are the Elite Guards today,” I said to them and they ran towards me.

“Well, we once were,” Mason said as we got into the elevator and it took us straight to the roof.

A helicopter was already standing by. We got to the abandoned building in no time.

“Just tranquilizer, no wolfsbane bullet,” I said to them. They both looked at each other, trying to figure out how to check my mind. But they knew better.

“Got it,” Mason said as he clicked his gun.

We got into the building, “Command do you have eyes on?” I whispered.

“Copy that, your Highness,” I heard the Commander's voice in my ears. It made me remember Brianna and I smiled.

“On my six, go.” I directed Mason and Ethan and we began searching the rooms in the building.

“Do you hear that?” Ethan asked. We stopped walking and listening.

“It's the rite of passage prayer,” Mason said and I nodded.

“Told you,” I said. I was about to walk when Ethan stopped me.

“We will search the room first,” he said and I nodded.

“Clear,” I heard and walked into the room with my hands up.

“You boys are in a lot of trouble,” I said to the two teenagers.

“Don't move,” they pointed at me with guns.

“Hey, my hands are already up,” I said to them.

“Wait, you are the Prince,” one of them said.

“No, stupid. His our new King,” the other elbowed him and they both bowed.

I looked at them confused, “that's your father's body. Why did you steal it?” I asked them.

“A man told us he won't be buried properly. That you won't even be there to see him go even after he served you well,” he said to me and I sighed.

“That's not true. You can see that I'm here. There is a helicopter ready to take us. Your father will be buried with honor, I can assure you,” I said to them.

They dropped their guns. I took out Adrian's picture and showed them. “Is this the man that spoke to you?” I asked.

“No,” one of them said. “He wore a Soldier's uniform just like our father did,” I nodded.

“But he was with him though,” the tallest one pointed at Adrian's photo. “He just left ten minutes ago.”

“Command, Adrian is in the area. Find him!”